Report: Major hurdle arises between Rams and Janoris Jenkins

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 18, 2012, 7:38 PM EST

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Janoris Jenkins, the talented but troubled cornerback selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the NFL draft, still hasn’t signed a contract. And a major hurdle will have to be cleared before he does.

Unsurprisingly, Jenkins’ agent Malik Shareef is not on board with that idea. Jenkins wants his whole signing bonus to be paid upfront, as is ordinarily the case with a signing bonus.

Cole compares the Jenkins situation with the negotiations between the Patriots and tight end Aaron Hernandez after they drafted him in 2010. Hernandez also had some off-field red flags, so the Patriots made a deal with him: Take less upfront money than a player drafted at your slot would ordinarily get, and we’ll make it up to you with a contract that has a greater total value. Hernandez accepted that offer and it worked out well for him: He has played well on the field and avoided trouble off the field and will likely end up with more money over the course of his entire rookie contract.

But the deal the Rams are apparently offering Jenkins isn’t just a little less money upfront. It’s a lot less. And any agent would balk at that.

If things really come to a head, it could set up a game of chicken between the Rams and Jenkins. Would the Rams blink first, not wanting to waste a second-round draft pick if Jenkins simply refuses to go along with the contract the Rams are offering? Or would Jenkins blink first, not wanting to have to sit out the entire year and then re-enter the 2013 NFL draft, when there’s no guarantee that he’d go any higher than he did this year?

Although the rookie wage scale in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement has made lengthy rookie holdouts largely a thing of the past, the Jenkins situation bears watching, and could drag out for a while.

Sorry but this Kid will always be Trouble and in Trouble…. He will not like the fact of having to pay all these Mothers for Child Support and will fall behind big time in payments and that will result in more problems.
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Should have learned after the first kid and now there is another women claiming he is the father of her child making 4 Mothers and 5 Kids.
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Over Half his Salary will go to support these kids plus after everyone else gets there cut and Uncle Sam takes there unfair share Jenkins will go broke…..

“The Rams have proposed splitting Jenkins’ $3 million signing bonus into four annual payments of $750,000. That way… the Rams can cut ties with him and only be on the hook for the amount they’ve already paid.”

This is going to end in complete disaster. I don’t think it’s wise to pay a second rounder like a late round pick just to prove a point about off-field issues like drug use and multiple babies with multiple mothers. The Rams are not the Patriots and are in no authority to treat their players like that.

liljerryjones says:Jul 18, 2012 8:13 PM

This was strategically leaked by one of the sides to gain leverage on the other.

If Jenkins has a successful rookie season, this will all be forgotten.

Lol. Rams are about to squander one of the picks they received in the Skins trade.

ninerdynasty says:Jul 18, 2012 8:28 PM

thats what u get witha rookie GM.. not sure how qualified he is.. but i think he thinks that he is doing the right thing for the team.. but he’s just low balling the kid.

fdugrad says:Jul 18, 2012 8:31 PM

What kind of leverage does Jenkins possess? To begin with, what organization would NOT protect their interests when paying someone with his record of long-term inappropriate behaviors, THAT kind of money? As if his past actions aren’t weighty enough, does he not realize that the GM is noting that JJ isn’t even an employee yet and there is now the problem with the financial planner? Lastly, when it comes down to the nitty gritty of leverage, The Rams know time and money are on their side, as JJ has NO money due to loans taken out to pay his baby mamas and there are probably NO volunteers lining up to finance any holdout he might have planned. His behavior has landed him squarely down the hole in which he now resides. This might be a good time for him to STOP digging. The REAL world of consequences is truly a tough taskmaster and he is finally finding this applies to him!

202folife says:Jul 18, 2012 8:32 PM

If I were Jenkins I wouldn’t blink, the Rams knew this kid had issues. You took him in the 2nd round so that’s punishment enough for a guy who should’ve been a top 10 pick. If you don’t wanna pay him like other 2nd rounders why did you take him. Stand fast, Jenkins.

Didn’t Fisher also draft Adam Jones? One would think that he would have learned from passed mistakes!

spetznaz777 says:Jul 18, 2012 8:53 PM

i commend the rams for trying to set up Janoris Jenkins so if he falls through it will not hurt the rams at all. jeff fisher is so afraid of having another Pacman Jones. i think they should just leave him alone and let the chips fall. the rams passing or failing this year wont fall on janoris jenkins.

gmsalpha says:Jul 18, 2012 8:54 PM

I believe the Rams should offer him a GUARANTEED $750k/year for 4 years, whether he pans out or flames out. If you give a guy like this $3m up front, he’s going to blow through it in less than a year. However, if he gets it in installments, it’ll force him to live on a budget, so to speak.

If all else fails, Jenkins can sit out and re-enter next year’s draft. All he needs to do is stay in game shape and stay out of trouble, and if he can do that, he may improve his standing with teams. Nobody questions his ability on the field, and if he’s serious about playing in the NFL, staying on the straight and narrow shouldn’t be too much of a chore.

As for the Rams’ offer, whether it’s Janoris Jenkins or Marcus Vick or Maurice Clarrett, nobody is signing that. They look really bad for even putting it on the table.

steeltownpride87 says:Jul 18, 2012 8:58 PM

Pay him as you would pay any other draft pick . Give him his money upfront . If he is broke in a year , oh well thats life . Otherwise the Rams should have not drafted him .

rajbais says:Jul 18, 2012 8:59 PM

This is why Jeff Fisher is the most overrated head coach in NFL history!!!

He keeps on taking problematic guys like Pacman, Haynesworth, Britt, LenDale White, Finnegan, Travis Henry, and many more and can’t go far in the playoffs!!!

He’s Al Davis/Rex Ryan with better composure, but no playoff success!!! People hated Al Davis and currently hate Rex, but at least they win big games!!!

It makes sense that they want to protect themselves from a kid who is obvious trouble, but they’re the ones who decided to draft him. You can’t have it both ways– you take a chance on him in the second, you pay him a second round contract. You knew the rules before you picked him– if he’s too risky for that contract, then you shouldn’t have taken him there.

seanje says:Jul 18, 2012 10:15 PM

Will he get more money overall if the signing bonus gets split up, ala Aaron Hernandez?

If not, considering the rookie wage scale, that sounds like a pretty low move by the Rams. If nothing more than because of the time value of money argument. That is unless his deferred signing bonus money is put in some sort of low-risk mutual fund or something, increasing in value as if he had it himself invested.

they knew he had PAST issues when drafting him. It isnt like he got drafted and then pulled a pacman. They dont have the right to do this to him. If they didnt want to commit the contract to him they shouldnt of drafted him there. I dont blame him for holding out it just sucks that they know he will have to take “it” literaly and figuretivley (murdered that word)

jh012 says:Jul 18, 2012 11:24 PM

This kid is definitely trouble but if they didn’t want to give him 2nd round money than they shouldnt have drafted him in the 2nd round!

I could see the Rams taking a risk on a top 10 talent in the 2nd rd. Many GMs make that will take that risk. The thing is that is where they must have valued him with the extra baggage he brings. So how are you going to say well you have 2nd rd value but not 2nd rd pay? Unless the Rams has buyers remorse.

ramcountry says:Jul 19, 2012 12:00 AM

Rams should’ve given more consideration to the potential problems Jenkins presented before they drafted him, not after.

The decision to trade down and not take Morris Claiborne does not sit well and I doubt will ever look good.

This is stupid of the rams. Why did you draft him. And the player needs to have some type of action he can take besides waiting a year. He did not sign any agreement.

spetznaz777 says:Jul 19, 2012 2:25 AM

i am from the stl area, for the longest time i would get so upset over the relocation rumors and such until i took a minute to think. are you ever going to go to a rams game. no. are you ever going to put as much care into the rams as you do the cardinals and blues. no. so if they leave will you care? no. so wherever they go and whatever they do i will always be a fan. ps. i hope they keep janoris jenkins.

the guy hasn’t even had a chance to mess up yet. THE PAST IS THE PAST! You can’t punish him again for past mistakes. EVERYONE deserves a second chance, college was his first and the professional league is his second. No three strike rule here. Mess up from here and your done! At least he hasn’t done what blackmon did even before camp. (DUI) His college coaches seem to think that he had put this behind him durring college. Just give him a chance, he may surprise.

renhoekk2 says:Jul 19, 2012 8:45 AM

Not exactly the way to start off a relationship. They’re basically saying “we don’t trust you”. So then why did you draft him? How hard do you think this kid is going to want to work for them? He’ll do the absolute minimum to keep his job. And they deserve it. You drafted him. Now pay him.

If his off field problems had surfaced after the Rams had selected him, then I think they would have every right to pursue such a contract with this guy but they knew about his problems long before the draft so it seems kind of “sheepish” to me that they would propose such a contract now.